11.28

यथा नदीनां बहवोऽम्बुवेगाः
समुद्रमेवाभिमुखा द्रवन्ति ।
तथा तवामी नरलोकवीरा
विशन्ति वक्त्राण्यभिविज्वलन्ति ॥

yathā nadīnāṃ bahavo 'mbuvegāḥ
samudram evābhimukhā dravanti
tathā tavāmī naralokavīrā
viśanti vaktrāṇy abhivijvalanti

Arjuna (अर्जुन) is still speaking, to Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). Meter: triṣṭubh (त्रिष्टुभ्). Four quarters, eleven syllables each, forty-four in the verse.

The verse

As the many currents of rivers run toward the ocean, so these heroes of the world of men enter your blazing mouths.

नेपालीमा

जसरी नदीका धेरै धारा समुद्रतिर बग्छन्, त्यसरी मानिसलोकका यी वीर तपाईंका दन्किरहेका मुखमा पस्छन्।

Where it sits

11.27 was the fact. This verse is the likeness he reaches for: water that cannot choose another mouth. 11.29 will change the likeness from rivers to moths, and the end from the ocean to destruction.

Split: यथा + नदीनाम् + बहवः + अम्बु-वेगाः + समुद्रम् + एव + अभिमुखाः + द्रवन्ति + तथा + तव + अमी + नर-लोक-वीराः + विशन्ति + वक्त्राणि + अभिविज्वलन्ति

yathā + nadīnām + bahavaḥ + ambu-vegāḥ + samudram + eva + abhimukhāḥ + dravanti + tathā + tava + amī + nara-loka-vīrāḥ + viśanti + vaktrāṇi + abhivijvalanti

Sanskrit, in depth

The words

देवनागरी	Word	Grammar	Sense
यथा	yathā	indeclinable	as.
नदीनाम्	nadīnām	genitive plural	of rivers.
बहवः	bahavaḥ	nominative plural	many.
अम्बु-वेगाः	ambu-vegāḥ	nominative plural	currents of water. ambu (अम्बु) is water. vega (वेग) is a rush.
समुद्रम्	samudram	accusative	the ocean.
एव	eva	indeclinable	alone. Just.
अभिमुखाः	abhimukhāḥ	nominative plural	facing toward.
द्रवन्ति	dravanti	present, 3rd plural	they run.
तथा	tathā	indeclinable	so.
तव	tava	genitive	your.
अमी	amī	nominative plural	these.
नर-लोक-वीराः	nara-loka-vīrāḥ	nominative plural	the heroes of the world of men.
विशन्ति	viśanti	present, 3rd plural	they enter.
वक्त्राणि	vaktrāṇi	accusative plural	the mouths.
अभिविज्वलन्ति	abhivijvalanti	accusative plural neuter, participle	blazing forth. Agrees with vaktrāṇi (वक्त्राणि).

The phrases

यथा नदीनाम् बहवः अम्बु-वेगाः समुद्रम् एव अभिमुखाः द्रवन्ति yathā nadīnām bahavaḥ ambu-vegāḥ samudram eva abhimukhāḥ dravanti is the picture. As the many currents of rivers run toward the ocean, and toward nothing else.

tathā tava amī nara-loka-vīrāḥ viśanti vaktrāṇi abhivijvalanti (तथा तव अमी नर-लोक-वीराः विशन्ति वक्त्राणि अभिविज्वलन्ति) is the same motion in the men. So these heroes of the world of men enter your mouths, and the mouths are blazing.

Sanskrit in this line

yathā (यथा) and tathā (तथा) are the simile pair, "as" and "so." बहवः + अम्बु bahavaḥ + ambu is bahavo 'mbu (बहवोऽम्बु). aḥ (अः) plus a (अ) is o (ओ) and ऽ. वक्त्राणि + अभिविज्वलन्ति vaktrāṇi + abhivijvalanti is vaktrāṇy abhivijvalanti (वक्त्राण्यभिविज्वलन्ति): i (इ) before a (अ) becomes y (य्). The participle is neuter plural, with the mouths, not with the heroes. The heroes would want a masculine ending.

Say it back

What the rivers do, and what the heroes do. If the heroes run to the ocean, the two halves have been swapped.